Places aestheticsnafu Wants to Go

A grotto-like lodge decorated with gilded mosaics, rocks and a noisy waterfall was the setting for the most sumptuous pleasure house of 1900s Europe.

Once known as the Illinois Asylum for the Incurable Insane.

Lined with plaques and tributes to veterans, this patriotic street was founded by Mexican immigrants.

The sign to a demolished amusement park now stands in front of a local library.

Tucked away amongst townhomes lies a restored, early 20th-century tea house and garden, the only remains of a historic estate.

Once an ornate movie theater remade by Catholic Charities.

A 19th-century horse lover's bequest led to the construction of this unique fountain in Chicago.

A towering Art Deco movie palace made to look like a Mayan temple.

This rare female version of the Muffler Man has its clothes removed each summer to signal the start of pool season.

This Mediterranean castle was built for a millionaire and his giant dog.

Roses and other fascinating flora fill this garden built to commemorate Britain's immortal Bard.

A goddess-topped water fountain in Chicago was created thanks to the dreams of a thirsty newsboy.

Museum dedicated to the art of cutting and polishing stones.

No one knows how many bodies are in this vault in a Chicago public park.

Take a break from all the boring business of death at this funeral home mini-golf course.

Rifle through images of skyscrapers, Worlds Fairs, and more in the largest public postcard repository in America.

This architectural stunner is one of the few surviving Egyptian Revival theaters in the U.S.

This historic-shipwreck-cum-diving-spot can still be seen poking its boiler out of the Lake Michigan waters that claimed it.

Buy a token from the liquor store and you can make this beast spew flames on command.

This botanical garden outside Chicago boasts an array of more than 300 varieties of lilacs.

The mysterious white squirrels of this Illinois city are treated like sacred cows.

What was once the second largest steel mill in the US is now a sprawling complex of modern ruins.

This grave in a ghost town cemetery marks the death of a witch on a day that never happened.

Once one of the world's great cities, Cahokia was a place of religious worship, trade and mass human sacrifice before being mysteriously abandoned.